I thought sadism was a rare condition, committed by individuals.
But during war, many times, entire armies commit sadistic acts of violence and torture. The n**i soldiers during WW2, the Japanese soldiers in Nanjing, the African soldiers in the various civil wars and rebellions, the Cambodian communists are examples.
I'm not talking about JUST killing civilians (women and children included), which I can understand as the result of blindly following genocidal orders or not wanting to burden the army with prisoners. I'm talking about sadistic torture killings, committed on a massive scale by many soldiers ... for enjoyment.
These sadistic acts seem to serve no valid strategic purpose, and most of the time did not occur because of any order from the commanders.
What sociological and cultural (specific to army life) conditions could cause this sort mass psychosis? Are there specific types of cultures that are more prone to have this happen?
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